Friday, December 30, 2016

Written by Cheryl Sacks, The Prayer Saturated Family explores the why and how of family prayer time. Many Christian families feel the call for prayer, but struggle with practically applying it in their every day lives. Frustrations can run so high that we can even loose sight of why we pray. What once was so simple, suddenly becomes convoluted as personalities clash and schedules threaten to derail the best laid plans. In today's fast paced world, realistically, how can a vivid family prayer time become a reality?

Part One of this book explores the "why" of family prayer, including:

having influence with God

communicating with God

prayer building faith

battling the enemy

and more!

Part Two of the book goes into the "how" of family prayer, such as:

identifying the seasons of life

overcoming obstacles

when and where

staying on track

and more!

And finally Part Three is a 31 day prayer guide for establishing a family prayer routine!

So what did I really think?

I really appreciate that this book was written for real life people. There's no preaching down for people who aren't on their knees for hours at a time. Scattered throughout the book are stories of real people living real lives with complications, commitments and time constrains. The reader is encouraged to realistically look at their place in life and begin there. This is often a fine line to walk, but the author has the ability to encourage readers in their current lot in life, but also not allow them to stay there. Growth always feels immanent. And do-able. It's like talking to a friend who loves you and understands you, but also wants to see you grow.

The advice in the 31 day prayer guide is so practical. And that's the way I love to live. Practical and real life. So if that's the way you are, you'll thrive off this 31 day guide. Each day includes scripture, practical instruction, and a simple prayer. I found that these were a great place to start and served as a wonderful launch point when the family is ready to go deeper.

I would highly recommend this book to any family striving to begin a prayer time together. It's a reference that I'll be returning to again and again. I pray that it launches your family into a vibrant prayer life, both together and individually.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Friday, December 16, 2016

*Bookmarks is an online book club hosted at Creative2xmom. Here we discuss the books we've read in the past month as well as the suggested reading. Oursuggested reading for December was The Art of Dancing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

These are the books I read this month:

What We Read with the Kids:

Our suggested reading for December was the Art of Dancing in the Rain by Garth Stein:

So what are your bookmarks this month?

Tell us in the comments about the books you're chewing on. Or link up a review from your own blog. Let's share the books we're finding, good and bad. And give us your thoughts on The Art of Dancing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

It's time to celebrate another birthday in our house. Lydia is turning 9 years old and requested an Ancient Egypt birthday party. Pinterest and Jo-ann's the rescue in making my little girl's DIY dream party come true. Enjoy!

C O N N E C T

subscribe at http://www.youtube.com/creative2xmom
read at http://www.creative2xmom.blogspot.com
like me on http://www.facebook.com/creative2xmom
follow me on http://twitter.com/creative2xmom

Contact us for business inquiries, reviews and collaborations: BethAnn_97@hotmail.com

FTC DISCLOSURE: This video is not sponsored.

Music Attribution:

Runaways by Silent Partner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

We love driving and looking at Christmas lights and there's some great spots here in town. Luckily it wasn't raining this year and Grandma got to come out with us too. And we saw one of the winners of ABC's The Great Christmas Light Fight!

1. Favorite Christmas Movie?
2. Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?
3. Show us an embarrassing Christmas Card photo!
4. Have you ever had a White Christmas?
5. Where do you usually spend your holiday?
6. Play or Sing your favorite Christmas Song!
7. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
8. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
9. What holiday tradition are you looking forward to most this year?
10. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
11. Hands down, what's your all-time favorite holiday food and holiday sweet treat?
12. Be Honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?
13. Show us your tackiest Christmas attire (ex: Ugly Sweater)
14. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?
15. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?
16. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?
17. Most memorable Holiday moment?
18. What made you realize the truth about Santa?
19. Do you make New Years Resolutions? Do you stick to them?
20. What makes the Holidays special for you?

What I Made: We finished our Pin the Scarab game for Lydia's party, as well as her piñata. But most of that was on my husband. I also finally finished the kids' ornaments. Don't know what took me so long this year. :-)

What I'm Reading: I'm doing a review on The Prayer Saturated Family. I love the 30 Day Guide in the back. It's given me some great ideas.

What I'm Doing: Lydia is performing with her jazz class this weekend so I'm looking forward to that. They're going to look so cute!

What I'm Watching: I've been catching up on Once Upon a Time and have discovered a new show "Speechless." Very funny!

Monday, December 5, 2016

Prayers and Answered Prayers is a sweet little prayer journal for tweens and young teens. This journals is well designed with an interactive format. Inside the glittery cover is a journal with split pages, the top half for praying and talking to God, and the bottom half for thinking about how God talks back. Each page has a thought provoking question or idea to journal about with a corresponding thought below. The cover is well constructed and the pages have made from quality cardstock.

This prayer journal would make a wonderful gift or stocking stuffer with the girl in your life ages 9-12. The prompts are age applicable and the design is just fun! Scripture is beautifully woven throughout the journal and the format is perfect in introducing the idea of prayer journaling. I feel confident that my 9 year old daughter will enjoy this journal as much as I do and I can't wait to share it with her.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy for this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Winter is here and with it, new ways to enjoy the season as a family. But with the holidays upon us, we getting even more creative with our finances and looking for ways to have some frugal family fun. So besides all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas, if you're looking for inexpensive ways to spend time together as a family, here are 8 fun ideas to get your creativity flowing:

1. Build a snowman--We all have a creative side when it comes to snowmen and no two are ever alike. Maybe yours has a fancy scarf while your chid's has funny facial features. Get creative. Maybe even make a contest out of it. For an extra touch of creativity, fill spray bottles with colored water to add detail.

2. Go sledding--We haven't done this the past couple of years, but my kids love it. It's a great way to burn off some energy and spend time together at the same time. Make a day of it with turkey sandwiches and hot cocoa too.

3. Have a snowball fight--While you're at it, why not start a snowball fight too? See who can make the best snowballs or the best baracade to hide behind. Divide into teams, boys against girls or parents against kids.

4. Make snow ice cream--We don't get a lot of snow so we tried this for the first time just a few years ago. With just a few ingredients you can make a fun winter treat that even the kids can be involved in. And it's cheap!

5. Look at Christmas lights--Load up the kids in the car with some hot cocoa and some Christmas music and you're all set for an adventure. Make a game out of it. Have a scavenger hunt while you're looking. Who can spot the Grinch? Which houses have a Nativity Set? How many candy cane trees will you see?

6. Go on a hike--Yes, it's snowy, and windy. But you know what? We can still enjoy the vitamin D. Getting out for a little sun and fresh does us all some good. And there's still plenty of places to hike and enjoy this time of year.

7. Go ice skating-- Confession time... I've never been ice skating. I've just never lived somewhere that it's been a possibility. But how fun does that sound? Holding hands around the skating rink... laughing... listening to Christmas music... and getting some fresh air.

8. Service Santa--This one sounds like so much fun and could really happen any time of year. Instead of buying gifts for each other, why not do service projects for each other? Draw a name, do chores for each other, surprise each other with gifts of service, and try to keep it a secret all at the same time. We've already drawn names this year, but I totally think we're doing this one next year.